Brain Dump

In the spirit of Job and CS Lewis' The Screwtape Letters, the father of lies challenges God: "You command your believers to gather together often, for fellowship. So much unnecessary work. Allow a disease to sweep the earth, and they will discover easier ways, ways that don't require so much effort. I will whisper in their ears holy scriptures of love and healing and twist them into judgement and condemnation. I will make bullying, guilting, shaming, and emotional blackmail virtues. They will worship the science of men and praise themselves for following the experts. In the name of the experts, they will sacrifice their personal identity and force others to do the same. They will throw away their free agency and pride themselves in doing so; they will justify ruling over others, demanding all follow their wise counsel. Obeying the dictates of men, they will believe themselves gods, able to protect themselves and others from illness and death. I will prove they exalt learned men above the God they claim to trust. Even as they shout their faith in you, they will fear and revere men more than you. I will replace stuffy order with celebrated chaos and implacable laws with more tolerant, fairer, kinder suggestions, and they will cheer. I will make hypocrisy, contradictions, and conflict the new normal and lure them into choosing fear. Your influence will flicker like a dying candle, and I will assure them it must be snuffed out, to save their lives and those they love. I will rule over them, and they will praise and honor me because I saved them from death."